Chapter 128: Sneaking into the Canyon

This giant python was a Level 35 intermediate boss. Though its physique was formidable, its movement was far too sluggish.

Below, the players had formed a semicircle. The gunners fired wildly with a crackle of gunfire, while the medics unleashed over a dozen jets of flame. Damage numbers popped up like sizzling dough twists in a deep fryer; the python was actually being burned so badly it couldn't move, as if it were being scorched to a crisp.

Wu Hua took advantage of the chaos to fire a single shot. He checked the stats via his skill: Level 35, HP: 67,992/120,000.

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Hua said, "Let's snatch it!"

Night Owl was horrified. "You can't be serious! They are from Arctic Snow, we..."

Wu Hua interrupted, "You don't want to leave the treasure mountain empty-handed, do you? Besides, we have to head toward the canyon entrance anyway. We’ll be exposed sooner or later; do you want to wait for them to discover us and send us back to the city?"

Night Owl nodded, but his expression remained hesitant. He had never taken such a risk—daring to steal a boss from a major corporation.

However, Wu Hua had taken such risks many times before and already had a method for dealing with them. Whether it was Arctic Snow or Antarctic Snow, whoever blocked his path deserved their bad luck. The rules of the gaming world were simple: the strong are respected, and the weak only deserve to be butchered.

Wu Hua patted Night Owl on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid, brother. Just follow my lead, and I guarantee you'll have a blast!"

Night Owl nodded tremblingly.

Having witnessed many intense battles, Wu Hua was in no rush. He slowly drew his Finnish Star and began adjusting the focus.

But he had overlooked one thing: these Arctic Snow players were also experienced. Knowing it was a boss, they had been attacking for so long without the boss using any skills.

Therefore, the squad leader—a Level 30 genetic warrior named "Laughter at the Vast Sea"—decidedly ordered, "Everyone fall back a bit. The boss might be about to use a skill."

Watching from the tree, Wu Hua secretly praised, "This commander actually has some brains."

The "semicircle" formation slowly expanded. Because of the recoil of the FAMAS rifles, some bullets missed. Although the boss’s HP dropped more slowly, the safety coefficient for the group increased.

Wu Hua checked the stats again. HP: 42,887/120,000.

The boss finally stopped being silent. It suddenly raised its triangular snake head and let out a strange hiss.

"Everyone watch out, the skill is coming!" Laughter at the Vast Sea shouted.

Whether he shouted or not made no difference. When the boss opened its terrifying beak, Wu Hua saw it clearly through the sniper scope: there seemed to be a tube embedded in the python's tongue. The tube first sprayed a plume of black smoke, which was almost invisible in the night.

This black smoke had no offensive power, but when it drifted into the air and the two of them inhaled it, Wu Hua felt his head spin, and he nearly tumbled out of the tree.

The smell was even worse than the stench of the rotting corpses in the swamp they had just passed—it was acrid and foul, giving one a suffocating sensation.

Night Owl couldn't help but retch. Wu Hua clamped a hand over his mouth. "If you're going to puke, do it on yourself. Don't make a sound. Hang in there."

Several gunners below were choked by the black smoke and immediately dropped their weapons, falling into a comatose state. It was unlikely they would wake up anytime soon.

The boss then unleashed its second skill. The tube sprayed venom like a high-pressure water gun. In the night, the venom appeared an eerie, vivid green—clearly highly toxic.

The venom sprayed directly onto the heads of the medics. Even Wu Hua had barely seen it happen. As soon as the liquid hit, a sheet of white smoke rose, as if a pile of lime was being boiled in hot water. As the white smoke dissipated, over a dozen white lights appeared; all the medics were gone, and a large patch of the mossy ground had been corroded, turning a vivid green.

Night Owl was dumbfounded. This toxicity was far too violent; even the high-level poisons of the medics didn't have such exaggerated power.

Though he was shocked, the people below were not panicked. The encirclement tightened again. If the boss's skill hadn't wiped everyone out, then it was just waiting to be slaughtered.

Night Owl looked over at Wu Hua. Wu Hua held the Finnish Star, left eye closed, staring through the sniper scope with a savage smile on his face. "Classmates, you are all very impressive. Your company actually wants to put a bounty on me? Very good, this is your reward..."

"Bang!" A deafening roar erupted.

Everyone was startled. Where did that gunshot come from? Was it a gunshot or a thunderclap?

-5,988!

The python flipped onto its back on the spot. With a "clatter," it exploded in a massive burst, the light of crystals and potions illuminating the jungle in a dazzling, colorful display.

System Voice:
Player "Insane" and "Night Owl" have eliminated the Level 35 intermediate boss, Death Python. Experience +50,000, Merit Points +1.

Laughter at the Vast Sea looked up in horror. He realized the monster had been stolen because he hadn't heard the system notification—killing a boss usually triggered a system prompt.

The moment he looked up, he saw a scene his brain couldn't explain.

High above the woods, a warrior descended from the sky, sweeping across the pile of loot like a trapeze artist. With a single reach, he snatched a piece of purple-tier equipment, then soared into the forest ahead like an eagle taking flight.

Laughter at the Vast Sea's brain couldn't explain why a warrior could "fly."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he shouted, "Fire! Fire, fire, fire! Shoot this trash that's stealing our gear!"

Only then did the gunners snap out of their stupor, raising their FAMAS rifles to fire blindly into the trees. Leaves flew wildly in the dense forest, but there was no sign of any white lights from players dying.

At that moment, another person swung down from the trees. Wu Hua grabbed the loot with one hand while firing his gun with the other.

The sound of the AUG was much more powerful than the FAMAS. Wu Hua even did a spin in mid-air. The muzzle flashes lit up the surroundings. The accuracy of this "rotating aerial fire" was shockingly low, but the evasion rate was shockingly high. Of the dozen FAMAS rifles firing at him, fewer than 15 bullets actually hit him, and none of them dealt over 100 damage. The disparity in equipment levels was simply too vast.

Wu Hua clamped another piece of purple gear between his combat boots and swung into the forest ahead, and Yiyi also clung to his boots, reaching out to grab a piece of red-tier equipment.

"Thanks for the gear, everyone. See you later!" The voice echoed from deep within the dense leaves.

Laughter at the Vast Sea was stunned. A warrior could fly, but how could this gunner fly too?

"Damn it!" He realized something was wrong and quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Brother Zhan, Brother Zhan, this is Captain Laughter of Squad A, Group 5."

The voice soon came through the walkie-talkie: "What is it?"

Laughter at the Vast Sea said, "Someone broke in and snatched the intermediate boss in the Python Cave. We lost over a dozen brothers, and they are now heading toward the canyon. Requesting interception, Brother Zhan."

Brother Zhan: "How many of them are there?"

Laughter at the Vast Sea: "Two people, a warrior and a gunner."

There was a silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie, presumably in shock. Not only did a lone warrior and a gunner steal the boss, but an entire squad couldn't stop them? Could it be that experts from Phoenix Tail City had slipped in?

Brother Zhan: "Give me the details."

Laughter at the Vast Sea: "The gunner is using an AUG and wearing a full set of SEAL Team 6 gear. The defense is extremely high; our gunners can't even scratch him. Also, they can fly."

"Fly?" The voice on the other end was clearly skeptical.

Laughter at the Vast Sea: "They can definitely fly. I saw them fly down from the trees and steal our equipment."

The other end of the walkie-talkie went silent for at least half a minute before slowly saying, "Are you sure you didn't just see a Game Master?"

Laughter at the Vast Sea: "..."